I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I understand the anger of survivors regarding the deletion of tapes. For a long time, they have felt that their voices have not been heard and this action is compounding that anger and frustration. I am aware of recent calls for the timeframe of the commission to be extended to enable it to deal with concerns relating to the audio recordings made by the confidential committee. The commission is independent in its operation. It has stated that each witness at the…

I am acutely aware of the very human stories and the real upset this has caused to survivors. I have engaged and continue to engage with survivors. My absolute priority is to see if there is a technical solution to seek to retrieve that information and those recordings. That is what we are looking at currently. We will continue to engage intensively with the commission on that point, to see if we can retrieve data. In the event that does not manifest, we are looking at the right to rectification and the potential r…

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement and take questions relating to the early learning and childcare. Before I begin, it is appropriate to recognise that tomorrow is the anniversary of the huge march that took place on 5 February 2020, when a coalition of groups across the early learning and childcare sector took to the streets, seeking better pay, conditions and supports for the sector. Around 30,000 people joined them on that march. I know that tomorrow, last year’s march will be remembered through onlin…

I thank the Deputy for her questions and her recognition of the sector. As she knows, the employee wage subsidy scheme is an all-of-economy support. We were successful in having it applied to the entire childcare sector and in having an exemption from the turnover requirements. It has been essential in supporting the sustainability of services. It is due to end at the end of March, at which time the Government will be reviewing the additional supports that need to be put in place for the economy. I am very consciou…

We have put a very substantial amount of money into the sector to keep it sustainable, keep services open and match the considerable determination of providers and childcare professionals in this regard, both in the context of the continuation of the existing payment schemes and the additional money invested through the employment wage subsidy scheme We are examining what will happen in respect of the measures from 5 March onwards. Obviously, the longer-term funding of the sector is also a key issue. The Deputy is …

I acknowledge there is some confusion about that. I regret it if there was any confusion in the ether. Responsibility for the programme rests with the Department of Health and the HSE. Currently, early learning childcare staff and school-age childcare staff are in vaccination category 11. I have advocated with the HSE and the Department of Health that that prioritisation continues to be re-examined. I know Deputy Cullinane got a response that indicated a higher priority. I have asked the HSE to contact him and I th…

Both I, in my Department, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, who is still with the Department of Health, continue to advocate for all children in the context of the vaccine programme, but particularly for those who are most vulnerable. If there are particular constituents or others with conditions that the Deputy wishes to highlight, he might correspond with us and we will endeavour to engage with the HSE and the Department.

Like the Deputy, I recognise the online day of action taking place tomorrow marking last year's march and I also recognise the crucial issue of pay and resolving this in the sector. In every session of questions and answers, we have engaged on this matter and we are seeing progression, in that last time we were talking about a JLC preprocess. Now that is done and I am expecting the report. The Department is not the employer of childcare professionals. They are employed by private service providers. We are putting i…

I am aware of that case. As the Deputy noted, the AIM funding does not apply to those children, although it is a very beneficial and useful scheme. There is a gap in the provision at the moment, but we recognise it and the Minister of State and I, at the higher level, will be conscious of addressing it. When the Minister of State's disability brief moves to my Department, we will have the ability to examine the issue in a more joined-up manner. On the specific case, I will ask the Minister of State to engage and se…

The maintenance of staff and of childcare professionals in employment is an absolute key priority for me. I was aware in January that creeping numbers of staff were claiming the PUP. Therefore, one of the conditions we have put in place with the enhanced funding measures, which will come in from 5 February, is the maintenance of staff on the payroll. That was certainly a key demand of SIPTU in our engagement with it on the childcare advisory council. That condition has been put into the new contract. To be able to …

I apologise if I do not have a more detailed response for the Deputy. I thought the focus today was on Covid-19 and childcare. With regard to that issue, however, I am conscious of the responsibilities of my Department as regards general data protection regulation, GDPR, and the transfer of the archive to us. In the context of the deletion of these tapes, at the moment we are in the process - I must be clear that it is a process - of looking particularly at Article 16 of GDPR on the right to rectification, and gain…

There are a range of questions there. I wish to reopen the ECCE scheme as quickly as we can. We continue to look at that and to make preparations for its reopening. It will be linked to the wider reopening of the primary education sector. On parental fees, in order to avail of the new funding model that we introduced from 5 February, services have to sign up to a new contract which says they will not charge parental fees. That will offer important clarity for parents.

I thank Deputy Paul Murphy. I disagree with the Deputy's statement that we have not supported childcare workers during this period. The employment wage supplement scheme, EWSS, has been a very significant investment by the State in supporting the wages and the position of childcare professionals. The childcare profession is the only profession which had a sector-wide exemption, which I negotiated. I did so because I understand the importance of childcare professionals to our children and to our economy, but also be…

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for his comments. I am aware that we always have more to do in this sector, particularly on the issue of pay. As regards reimbursements, for the period of 1 January to 5 February we did not have any legal requirements. We did not have a new contract in place with childcare providers and we could not compel reimbursements. During that period, we requested that childcare providers make a reimbursement. For the next period, the period of 5 February to 1 March, if childcare providers want to a…

The review of the childcare operating model is ongoing. It was put in place with a view to undertaking initial work to allow us to make determinations as regards the child agency.

I can reply in more detail in writing.

I take on board the Deputy's point about the AIM scheme. We have put additional funding into it this year because it has been successful, but there is a lack of joined-up thinking. We hope that the transfer of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the area of disability issues to my Department will give us the opportunity to focus on children and consider disability throughout all life stages. We can do much better in terms of joined-up thinking. The Deputy rightly identified the issue of pay. A joint labour …

I thank the Deputy. On the issue of the allocation to Meath and Louth Education and Training Board I will correspond in writing to him and give the rationale behind it. We secured a €5 million increase in funding for the youth services sector, which is the biggest increase in the past decade so it was very substantial. I will always be looking to put more money into that sector but we should acknowledge it was a significant increase. Certainly the youth groups to which I have spoken see the extra use to which the m…

I move: That Dáil Éireann recommends Dr. Niall Muldoon for re-appointment by the President to be the Ombudsman for Children. I am asking Dáil Éireann to pass a motion that Dr. Niall Muldoon be reappointed by the President as Ombudsman for Children. Seanad Éireann approved such a resolution last week. On 15 December 2020, the Government supported my intention to arrange for the moving of the requisite resolutions for consideration by both Houses recommending Dr. Muldoon's reappointment for a second term of six years…

I thank the Deputies on all sides of the House for their contributions to the debate on the motion. It is my pleasure to recommend to the House that Dr. Niall Muldoon be reappointed by the President to be the Ombudsman for Children. Dr. Muldoon comes to this post with a wealth of experience. He has served very effectively as Ombudsman for Children over the past six years. He has previously served as director of investigations at the Office of the Ombudsman for Children. He is a registered clinical and counselling p…